On a Windows Vista or Vindows 7 disk, all versions of the operating system are present, from Starter to Ultimate, and everything in between. So, if you want too upgrade to a more capable version of Windows down the road, all you need to do is pop the Windows disk in, let Windows Anytime Upgrade do its thing, and you're done. It seems like Intel is experimenting with a similar technology... For its processors.

Where is the scam? The consumer is being told what he is buying up front.

The level of power provided at the default level is more than adequate for typical use.

You may not like the idea of an artificial limitation but as with software it makes sense from an economical point of view.

They have been doing this with cpus and video cards for years. There are single core AMD cpus that can be unlocked into dual core cpus with a hack. It often makes economic sense to produce a single die and then place an artificial limitation on it to meet low-end demand without cutting into high-end margins. Sure it would be nice if NVIDIA made one high-end gpu and sold it to everyone for $50 but that would mean far less R&D for future products.